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  • COMMENTS

    COMMENTS

    For Segun Gbadegesin

    Sir, President Jonathan  is  less prepared for the job. Governing a country like Nigeria requires great human capacity. there is no excuse for failure. From Ayike Ayeke, Port-Harcourt.

    Sir, is this how seven lawmakers in Ekiti State will continue to make laws till the end of this administration and everybody will just be watching? Anonymous

    “Unwilling or unable” is true posers that shows that our political leadership has inadvertently refused to crush the insurgency. Its’ not inability but political decision not to conduct election in North-Eastern states to dismember the votes for the opposition which will likely win there. Period! Its’ the game plan of the PDP long before 2015 elections! Anonymous

    Let Nigerians keep their fingers crossed till after general elections then we would score Professor Jega and his men with resource invested in the agency. From Chika Nnorom

    Re: “Unwilling or unable?” You have said it all. Divinely, this world is not a place where we all will live forever, we shall die one day. This is why as a leader and in position of authority, we must be concerned with what we want to leave behind as a good legacy when the time comes. All our present leaders are not thinking along this line. The crop of leaders that we have today are the worst. They are corrupt, inept, selfish and self-centered. Look at what is happening within the PDP Government of which President Jonathan is the head and he has been unable to deal with. And see how he has been unable to deal with insurgency is that gradually decimating our population due to weakness and incompetence. The future of this country is bleak if nothing concrete is done to defeat the Boko Haram unleashing terror on a section of the country. We are already in December and this means that the year has ended. Absurdities and hopelessness must not be allowed to continue in 2015. Ridicule and disgrace that had enveloped the country for the past three years, must cease. From Prince Adewumi Oyeromade Agunloye

    I find it extremely difficult to explain what Boko Haram is. But it seems government is using BoKo Haram as an instrument to eliminate one section of the society for reasons best known to it. Anonymous

     

    For Dare Olatunji

    No progressive leader or political party ever promises governing people with iron hand. Everything usually appears attractive at the beginning. As APC would want to impress us on how it would soon turn the country into Eldorado shortly if allowed to form the government at the centre, so too was the PDP at the beginning before it went off the mark. What lessons APC can learn from PDP is to identify with wherever PDP has performed creditably while shunning every negative step the party took in its administration. There can be no better way of assuring Nigerians that it can do better if voted into power than that. From Emmanuel Egwu

    This is a wonderful piece and raw truth, what we have today is a Regimented Democracy where issues are judged with Biasness. *Revolution we call* From Oluwaseun

    Good day Prof.  Thanks for your thoughts on Yoruba mainstreamers. The first question to ask is: who are these people? The last time I checked, they are mainly the dregs of Yoruba land. Con artists, drug barons, credit card doyens, murder suspects ‘Agbo jedi’ drinkers and an admixture of renegades  who lost relevance in the Yoruba political  mainstream who have found a ready welcome in the giddy ambience of Abuja’s conclave of  sleaze and ravenous greed. That is their interpretation of ‘mainstream’ politics. You can also call it ‘come and eat’. Those are the class of Yoruba ‘leaders’ to be found in PDP. What is incontrovertible is that Yorubas’ know who their true leaders are. Nobody can change that. From Olu.

    All this praises of developmental projects going on, as they said, is those looking for stomach infrastructure from the top. Period. From Gordon Chika Nnorom.

  • Parties deregistration, threat to 2015 elections

    As if he was referring to the pretext of the multiple judgment dilemma which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) raised in refusing to honour the Chris Okotie-led Fresh Democratic Party’s verdict, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, subsequent to his confirmation by the Senate as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, said; “… the personal interest of judges and lawyers in certain political cases had been behind the incidences of conflicting judgments… these conflicting judgments are mostly common in political cases involving election tribunals where there are a lot of interests…”

    It will be recalled that FRESH proceeded to Justice G. O. Kolawole’s Federal High Court 5, Abuja Division, where it secured a victory in July 2013. FRESH, which upturned its de-registration, has strenuously claimed that INEC was deliberately frustrating its incursion into mainstream politicking. The catalogue of events since the December 2012 de-registration shows this to be true.

    INEC filed a notice of appeal but failed to perfect the process at the Appeal Court within the stipulated 90 days. But in response to FRESH’s sustained calls on the commission to make good the verdict, it instructed the party to re-register. There was then hurried re-amendment of Section 78 (7) (ii) of the Electoral Act by the National Assembly, which stipulates that political parties must win seats during state and National Assembly elections, to include councillorship elections, though this section of the Act has been set aside by the FRESH ruling.

    But after months of silence and subsequent re-filing of another notice of appeal in July 2013, nine months clear of the 90 days window, INEC chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, declared unequivocally that the law is the law and until it is changed, the commission will maintain status quo. Invariably, FRESH should not expect to see its name on the ballot papers come 2015, irrespective of the ruling. Now, Hope Democratic Party (HDP) has also secured another verdict akin to FRESH’s at Justice Ademola Adeniyi’s Federal High Court, Abuja, who referred to FRESH’s verdict and questioned why the agency had not complied with it.

    INEC is out of touch with voter sentiments, and in making such a statement must expect a riposte, especially while touting a misleading notice of appeal which is now gathering dust, since they don’t regard the judiciary’s right of interpretation or even the verdict as worthy of the paper it was written on. The electoral agency is acting like an autocratic boss who doesn’t care about contradictions. INEC is 30 years behind the world’s current affairs, as a bird’s eye view of global politics shows that the paradigm of elective political participation has changed, and cunning play of political hands is obsolete.

    Political representation is not a question of winning over ideology, but that the dismal state of leading parties’ style of politicking and crony governance, a staple of Nigerian politics, needs to be put under with an integrity-focused and vibrant opposition. If there is a sector of Nigeria which needs a boom in un-curtailed representation, it is freedom of participatory politics. The prejudice of thinking that the new parties are not proper political organisms because they are not run by the old breed politicians is unfounded: INEC must be neutral, and not put the nascent parties under pressure to perform in a lopsided race.

    The internal manipulations and bureaucratic certification imposed by stalwarts of the ruling class is at the root of the emergence of smaller parties, and it can so easily asphyxiate the emphasis on innovation which the nation needs now. The yearning for a truly deregulated political space is being stymied by the daunting obstacle of animosity evidenced by INEC and the increased regulation by the Senate’s latest re-amendment of the voided electoral act. FRESH should be allowed to pursue its mandate without the fanged oversight of INEC. When it is asked to surrender itself to an abstract process which has consistently proven faulty, then it is stifled.

    The last few years has been filled with incredible upheavals inflicted by PDP’s super-stratum of politicians who have been moldering in politics with an inflated opinion of their own relevance and abilities. The irony of this cabal’s self-exultation is that the nation has been stuck in the doldrums, so growth is bound to stagnate and slow down to a halt, especially with unforeseen circumstance like the fall in global oil prices; Nigeria’s economic mainstay. To parry the threat posed by FRESH, the leading party, which is not on the side of the masses, faces humiliation at the hands of this nationalist rival they once dismissed as non-starters and closet politicians.

    Okotie’s paradigm shift is all about challenging the status-quo and putting things in a different and more productive light with a global mindset. His party’s strategic perception means it is alert to the need for change, creative about how to accomplish that change, and alive to the strengths and weaknesses which may influence, enhance or frustrate the right atmosphere to accomplish that change, like INEC is engendering.

    In today’s highly evolved and networked world, a robust political and governmental structure is vital in every nation, one that is reliable, providing innovative solutions to challenges, not one that bamboozles the polity by the amount of noise which government’s peddle through their media machinery. But they cannot dispose of the fact that the populace consults with each other about current issues, rather than depend on the rehearsed media façade of spin doctors. But to put deception lower down the pecking order, Nigerians need to take a stand. We can’t continue to be fobbed off with generic excuses- we must begin to assert our rights.

    So 2015 presents another chance to address arguably the two largest issues facing Nigeria: corruption and transparency, by voting out the ruling cabal, whose philosophy is best expressed as ‘to the greater glory of us’ (Ad Manus Gloriam). The present rumblings in the political atmosphere are indicative of the need for change, and CJN, Justice Mohammed must save the judiciary from this political attrition by politicians, by making cases like this FRESH/HDP tango a matter of urgency.

    Days after INEC’s lifting on the ban on campaigns, and the continued denial of these two parties the right to participate, despite an extant verdict, the possibility of a legal recourse already flies a red flag and jeopardizes the conduct and outcome of 2015 general elections. Now is the time for the CJN to alter the course of INEC’s highhandedness.

     

    • Godswill wrote from Delta State

  • Nigerians and Bio-Safety Bill

    The Nigeria Bio-safety Bill is one bill that has suffered a lot of legislative setback over the years. It was first presented to the National Assembly in 2006 and was passed eventually in 2010 during the sixth assembly, but failed to get presidential assent before the expiration of the last administration.

    The bill amongst other things, seeks to provide derived benefits from modern biotechnology under a legal framework for economic growth, improved agriculture, job and wealth creation, industrial growth and sustainable environment. It also aims at minimising risks to human health, confirm and harness potential of modern bio-technology, protect and guard against any adverse effect of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) on biological diversity and the environment and guard against any economic consequences among others.

    However, the bill was returned to the seventh assembly for further legislative actions with the hope that the President may assent to it this time around. It was on this belief that the Senate recently conducted a public hearing on it.

    One of the major issues that the bill seeks to address is the establishment of a National Bio-safety Management Agency for the country. The agency if established would be responsible for the development of risk-management plans and strategies for protecting human health, biological diversity and the environment from potential risk associated with genetically modified organisms. The agency is also to take samples and carry out laboratory analyses of crops, products or materials for purpose of determining if they contain genetically modified organisms and ensure compliance with the law.

    It is instructive to add that the overall objective of the bio-safety bill is to provide a regulatory regime and guidance for the sustainable development of the science of modern biotechnology, its application and safe use of GMOs and the products thereof without prejudice and risk to public health, environmental health, national sovereignty, human dignity and fundamental human rights.

    The bio-safety bill covers all modern biotechnology activities, GMOs and products thereof including all germplasm. It defines modules of practice of modern biotechnology, the handling, transfer and use of GMOs and products thereof to ensure safety to the environment and to human health. It is also intended to guide different segments of society in contributing to safe application of modern biotechnology.

    The bill recognises the complex issues to be addressed by relevant authorities in the judicious application of modern biotechnology, ensures that modern biotechnology activities and their products (GMOs) are safe for the environment and to human health. It bases the deliberate release of GMO on advance informed agreement.

    Furthermore, the bio-safety bill defines offences and penalties for violation; contains powers to authorise release of GMOs and practice of modern biotechnology activities; confers the power to carry out risk assessment/management before the release, handling and use of GMOs; covers all genetically modified organisms/living modified organisms, products food/feed and processing and also covers socio-economic consideration in risk assessment.

    Interestingly, Nigeria signed and ratified an internationally binding bio-safety protocol known as the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety in 2000 and 2002 respectively. The Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety is a protocol of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The protocol entered into force on September 11, 2003 and currently has 160 members. The Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety, on its own, addresses the safe transfer, handling and use of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) that may have adverse effects on conservation and sustainable utilisation of biodiversity, taking into account risks to human health and focusing on trans-boundary movement of the LMOs.

    The protocol requires parties to it to develop their bio-safety administrative and regulatory framework in order to effectively regulate activities of modern biotechnology, GMOs and products thereof to avoid harmful effects on the environment, biodiversity and human health. The bill is therefore to domesticate the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety which Nigeria has signed and ratified and to abide by the protocol in line with our national needs. It is in furtherance of this that Nigeria participated fully at the fifth meeting of the Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as Meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety, which was held on October 11 – 15, 2010, in Japan.

    Modern biotechnology has been identified as an important tool that can help countries to achieve food sufficiency/food security, industrial growth, health improvement and environmental sustainability.

    It entails the fusion of cells beyond the taxonomic family that overcomes natural physiological reproductive or combination barriers and that are not techniques used in traditional breeding and selection. It is gene specific. Nigeria adopted biotechnology policy in 2001 as an alternative tool to achieving the objectives of biotechnology for national development. A National Biotechnology Development Agency was further established in 2001 to actualise the policy to promote biotechnology activities in the country.

    However, the absence of a bio-safety law has hampered the activities of the agency in the research and development in genetically modified organisms in the country, thereby, denying Nigeria the benefits associated with modern biotechnology practice.

    Modern biotechnology helps to produce plants that can reduce Greenhouse gases thereby reducing effects of climate change; it is precise in its trait utilisation, develops plants that have greater tolerance to stress in marginal environment, improves growth and productivity of plants and animals, food quantity, nutritional improvement and consistency for healthy living. Besides, it produces new breeds of animals and plants, reduces use of pesticides and herbicides, as well as farming land area with higher yields. In as much as modern biotechnology has great potential, there are fears of possible adverse impacts on the environment and human health, which has necessitated the bio-safety bill.

    As rightly enthused by Prof. Shehu Ado of the Institute for Agricultural Research, Zaria, the coming on board of the bill would equip Nigerian scientists to practise biotechnology as it relates to food, health and the environment. To him, the bill would protect Nigerians as all biotechnology activities and scientists would be subjected to strict monitoring to ensure that no harmful activities are employed to affect human, animals or the environment.

    As he put it, “It will help the country to harness the potential modern technology has to offer under a legal regime. There is currently a lot of concern regarding the possible toxicity and allergy to food products derived from GMOs. There are equally concerns on the environmental consequences of the use of GMOS and their release into the environment, in particular, the effects on biological diversity, but it will  ensure environmental, human and socio-economic safety”.

    The consequences of not having a biosafety law on the environmental, human health and on our economy may be unquantifiable, which might pose serious threat to our national security, particularly now that modern biotechnology has come to occupy centrestage globally in nearly all facets of human endeavor.

    Some of the consequences are that farmers might resort to the smuggling of GMO seeds they consider as having the potentials to enhance their earning without risk assessment being carried out on them; there will be apprehension among the populace on the socio-economic consequences of modern biotechnology and GMOs, especially among the small-scale farming systems that are prevalent in Nigeria. Since there will be no law to protect them, Nigeria will not be able to guarantee the purity of its agricultural products for the international market, thereby losing her international partners and also foreign earning. Nigeria will serve as a dumping ground for unregulated GMOs which may have adverse impact on our environment and human health.

    Finally, Nigeria will be denied the opportunity to harness the potential modern technology has to offer in the field of improved food production, medicine/health, industrial growth and environmental sustainability, employment generation and wealth creation.

     

    • Samson wrote in from Jabi, Abuja

  • Orji Kalu’s agonistes

    He will be 60 years old in three year’s time but many Nigerians would think Chief Orji Uzor Kalu (OUK) has been around for 80 years. Such is the quantum of activities he has packed into his life so far. Yet today you still cannot help but see a life that seems storm-tossed and in eternal conflict with itself. It is called agonistes, a state of inner conflict and spiritual turbulence. Why would a man who has supposedly achieved so much live in seeming agony?

    A few days ago, it was reported that OUK had joined the exclusive club of the world’s richest men as compiled by Forbes. It is a circle of those who count their means in multiple billions of dollars. It is an enclave where Nigeria’s industrialist, Aliko Dangote thrives, among a handful of other Nigerians. We were told that OUK has joined that club but curiously, it was not reported how much he is worth.

    But OUK is the quintessential human curio. A few days after his entrée into the famous Forbes list was announced with fanfare, he orchestrated another story in which he was once again the star. The ‘big’ story covering entire two pages in the Daily Sun of Monday, November 20, came with a screamer: “Jubilation in South East over PDP’s waiver to Orji Kalu”. It came with a deriding rider: Desperate Gov Orji storms PDP headquarters in bid to stop waiver.

    It was of course, a blatant tale in self-glorification. As the story went, OUK had been granted a waiver to return to the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. It said he had also been granted a leave to contest for the Abia North senatorial election. A special screening would be organized exclusively for him at the PDP headquarter in a few days in order to grant him leeway to contest.

    Going by the newspaper’s report, it was as if the so-called waiver was a direct ticket to paradise. The so-called waiver was supposedly celebrated across the five south-east states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo and Enugu and also in Lagos. The story was complete with the photograph of a rabble that was supposedly “Jubilant supporters of Orji Kalu.”

    It was two pages of syrupy stuff with supposed respondents singing the praises of the OUK, the ‘greatest’ political strategist ever born and all that jazz. How could a man who built a house not be allowed into it; meaning that OUK was a founding father of PDP therefore he must never be barred from rejoining the party? Without OUK where would Jonathan and PDP be in the south-east come 2015 election? Barring OUK is a recipe for PDP to lose the zone – some supposed supporters were reported to have said.

    Naturally the report picked on and pilloried the incumbent governor of Abia State, accusing him of leading the state’s PDP’s bigwigs to Abuja for the sole purpose of stopping OUK’s re-admission into PDP. The report says: “The governor, it was gathered, met a brick wall as the NWC members raised objection querying why Orji does not want Kalu back in PDP…”

    Exactly one week after this elaborate celebration of what seemed like an admission to heaven; on Tuesday, November 25, newspapers were awash with what reads like a letter from a heart-broken lover. It is titled: “Withdrawal from Abia North Senatorial District Race.”

    In this agony letter, OUK accused Governor T.A Orji of trying to pull down everybody in Abia; he accused him of making people resign important positions in the quest for elective offices that had all been cornered by the governor. Neglecting his own petition, he reeled out the names of people allegedly misadvised by T. A Orji. It was only at the bottom of the letter that he tearfully let it out that the PDP headquarters would not screen him as promised. He even demanded for a refund of the cost of his nomination form. Did anyone ever hear of such baloney?

    Sobbing and sulking, here is his last paragraph:”Permit me to reiterate that I am not angry with the party. I only want peace to prevail. I remain resolute in my conviction, and I will work for the success of all party candidates in the forthcoming polls, including President Goodluck Jonathan.”

    Is OUK capable of learning any lessons? Is it possible that he would have learnt some hard truths from all of these or would he remain the incorrigible, know-it-all that he has always been? Would he now ‘condescend’ to recognize that the party is bigger than any individual? That the incumbent governor is the leader of a party at state level? That eminent members like Austin Akobundu, Vincent Ogbulafor, Adolphus Wabara and Senator Uche Chukwumerije are not his houseboys to be derided and pushed around? That he must subordinate to the party if he seeks to rejoin?

    Back to the beginning. Why has apparent megalomania driven OUK to a state of perpetual questing after what is not lost? When shall he sit down to some reflection? When shall he have enough? Here is a guy, according to available records, at barely 30 years had set up his first major company, Slok Nigeria Limited, Lagos; Supreme Oil Limited and Slok Industries Limited, Port Harcourt. Here is a fellow who was chairman of a bank before he was 30; who was chairman, Imo State Marketing and Supply Agency Limited before he was 30; among several other boards and government committees.

    Most notably, here is a fellow who was a two-term governor of Abia and who was paramount leader of a party that controlled two states (Abia and Imo) for three years. During that period, it goes without saying that he ruled these states like a serfdom leaving them desolate and still reeling from his misrule. Yet he still wants to run for senate.

    Now that OUK has joined the gang of world billionaires, perhaps he wants to borrow a leaf from Dangote and face his business and do charity to the people. Dangote has done so much for the people of Kano and Nigerians, let OUK emulate him. When providence has favoured you so much you must reciprocate with a gracefulness of heart and soul; that is the way of statesmen.

     

    • Abia is of the Save Abia Group (SAB) , Aba

  • Mad lust and ‘table manners’

    Few months ago, a colleague of mine told me in a voice laden with a sneer and veiled contempt that, “Nobody reads you guys anymore. Nobody cares what you write as a columnist. You are just wasting your time,” he said. According to him, the best form of social commentary is that which seeks to elevate and shamelessly venerate even the worst of Nigeria’s perverted ruling class. “You have to be smart,” he advised.

    Few months later, another colleague told me in the same tenor that it’s about time I started sucking up to the politicians and industry leaders. “You need them more than you would ever know. You need connections with them and the money they can give you. You can’t keep writing English, you have to be smart,” he said.

    Between the two, an indisputable truth resonates jarringly; it echoes the depth of our descent as men and citizens. Both colleagues of mine, while issuing a subtle mockery of my professional and personal ethics, endeavoured to tell me the truth as they have learnt to see it.

    I agree with them that being close to politicians and sucking up to the latter manifests in almost instant and outrageous wealth for many journalists. Forget journalists, it is a veritable shortcut to instantaneous and sudden wealth for Nigerians of all gender, professional, religious and ethnic divides even as you read. Little wonder it has become trendy for many a Nigerian to virulently lambast the incumbent leadership or opposition until opportunity beckons for them to be co-opted into the special circuit of treasury looters, associate looters or aspiring looters. And this is the point at which they begin to exhibit ‘table manners.’

    According to a famous and now domesticated human rights and political activist, “Table manners demand that when you eat, you don’t talk.” Thus in showing table manners, many Nigerians careen in the perilous swirl of the country’s tragedies, with their mouths stuffed, until the end.

    The end is what should scare us. But nobody cares. Hardly anyone gives a hoot about that imminent epoch when greed, self-pity and deceit will no longer serve us. I speak of that looming epoch when we shall grope through the lattices of personal disaster into the ruins of national disaster; when anarchy and genocide shall find their perch past corruption and greed, in our hearts – even as we burn and blaze in the name of mammon, tribe and tin-gods.

    The language of our madness will not be understood by all even as our madness is patronized and enabled by all. In our madness, our perverted neighbours of the ‘first world’ shall nourish and thrive. Nigeria shall become that perfect prey for the ‘first world’ and all manners of world to rip off.

    It’s not such a long haul to that epoch right now; the tragedies that would ruin us are right at our doorsteps. They are rooted in our hearts and clannish havens of chaos and plunder. They manifest as Boko Haram, falling oil prices, persistent looting of our treasury by the incumbent ruling class and recent devaluation of the Naira. In the wake of these tragic manifestations, not a few people rue President Goodluck Jonathan’s apparent intellectual, psychological and moral handicaps at steering Nigeria off the course of troubled waters and incessant storms.

    But even as we balk and fret over the likelihood of the country’s descent into socioeconomic and political recession, friends like mine and of the ruling class fixate on the next corrupt politician whose deep pocket they could scavenge from. These parasites could be likened to the mythical harpies and servants of the furies. They abide in and currently run amok our socioeconomic and political space doling unequal plaudits to a savage ruling class, for a fee.

    Men like Doyin Okupe to the average scheming, conniving and soulless supporter of the incumbent ruling class serve as perfect epitomes of what the harpies connote. Like the latter, they are fortune hunters and airborne brigands, befouling our corridors of power and society with their droppings. They represent the aspect of bestiality that ravages and kills in order to sate its lusts.

    These mentally and materially-impoverished worshippers cum Mr. President’s media mongrels and attack-dogs, would argue that he is the best President Nigeria ever had. They argue that President Jonathan is the best thing to happen to Nigeria politicizing his “humility” and “love of God” to the fascination and appreciation of Mr. President’s groupies nationwide.

    There is the oft-repeated logic and inclination to blame this persistent and saddening malaise on greed, ‘enlightened self interest’ or capitalism; however, the impulse for giving a monster a mild name, the lust for acquisition, pursuit of gain and money are merely symptoms, like capitalism, of the society’s steady descent the slope of the decadent and grotesque.

    Max Weber, the late German economist and social historian would say it has been common to all sorts and conditions of men at all times and in all cultures of the earth but I would say that the Nigerian malaise is brought about by the absence of an enduring moral code.

    This deficit manifests in deficiencies of personal and societal ethics – the consequence of which is the preponderance and regeneration of eejits, tyrants, greedy-guts, fraudsters, narcissists, murderers and bloodhounds of all kinds and of all nature, across the country’s landscape.

    The trials of Nigerians’ moral degeneration – as exemplified by the citizenry’s inordinate lust for money and the country’s recurrent tragedies– reveal an overarching tendency to savour short-term greed and relief over long-term prosperity.

    Despite a protracted and tumultuous history of impoverishment and bad leadership, Nigerians continue to look for quick fix solutions by casting their votes for the clueless and corrupt at election time, for a fee, thus mortgaging the country’s present and future for short-term benefits.

    Through decades of self-inflicted scourges and disasters, Nigerians continue to bemoan their tragic fate; while many argue that the country ruins because the youth are too weak and too selfish to spill as much blood as is required to rid the nation of every human and institutional affliction, many more contend that the country’s woes will disappear immediately poverty is eradicated by the ruling class.

    We should be inching towards freedom but we aren’t. We should have attained freedom, but we haven’t; makes it a wonder what manner of patriots we have become. Destiny is what you experience by the fabrication of your own hand. It’s about time we desisted from excusing our evilness and stupidity in the name of fate.

    It is our so-called intellectuals, labour leaders, radicals and human rights activists that amaze me; add to the mix every mercantile journalist, ‘columnist of note and substance’ and you have a perfect blend of Nigeria’s worst enemies. It will no longer do to excuse our idiocy and greed as pertinent elements of political and socio-economic expediencies; everybody knows that every one of us is playing his own card.

    We are enjoying a great deal by selling out. It is what the domesticated activist called exhibition of “good table manners.” Funny how every journalist, labour leader, banker, doctor, cleric and activist to mention a few, have developed excellent “table manners.”

  • Tinubu: A misunderstood leader

    Since the beginning of time, there has never been any race unless there is a superhuman raised amongst them, either by the accident of history, as the empiricists would have us foreground, or divine providence, according to the theory of theists. From wherever such rare creatures emanate, they have been historically united by the uncommon ability to rise above the ordinary level of the common man in order to salvage the common men of their time. This, to me, conveys a metaphor of human angels, being a firm believer in the supreme status of an omnipotent uncaused cause, whom we all call God. The fact that human angels are finite beings with inborn limitations and fallibility like other humans, usually robe and veil them in the garb of enigma. They are generally misunderstood even by those for whose sake they are raised. If the Nigerian masses cannot fully appreciate the messianic angel personified by the iconic Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the case of those few economic and political Pharaohs, from whose grip he is here to liberate Nigeria itself, needs no debating.

    Let nobody rush to hang this writer, who himself had hitherto been confused by the mysteries of the Bola Tinubu phenomenon. All a discerning mind needs do is to take deep breath that would ferry him into the world of imagination whereby he would feel the atmosphere of a contemporary Nigeria without a Bola Tinubu. I doubt if any can survive the unavoidably inclement political and economic climate of a one-party Nigeria securely tucked in the inner pocket of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). To survive in such a state, I bet, one would require the most imaginably-sophisticated fortification as required for permanent human habitation in the planet sun.

    What would have become of our dear fatherland if Tinubu had not been that audacious? What would have been the fate of every state, including the PDP-controlled, had henot been a so-called political rascal? Or, would the olden day All Nigerian Peoples’ Party (All Peoples’ Party) and the Alliance for Democracy as well as the present day APGA and Labour Party have sufficed, without the APC, to keep the PDP on its toes?

    I am sure that at that historic moment of decision for Tinubu, during the countdown to the 2003 elections, when, as the then Governor of Lagos State, he himself never knew that his refusal to join the bandwagon forces of the remaining five Alliance for Democracy governors of the South-west was all that God needed from him, as a qualifying virtue, to be anointed as the Moses of our generation. What if he had acquiesced like his colleagues to the pact for South-west vote offered by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo? What if Lagos had then been captured just like Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti by the almighty federal might; would there have been any glimpse of vibrancy and optimism today in the entire Nigerian political space? What would have become of the South-west, our dear domain of sophistication? Would there have been any mega rival party like the All Progressives Party (APC), with a national spread, heavy chest and voice that has been keeping the PDP awake to its responsibility? Truth be told, the supposed freedom we enjoy as pen pushers which our President recently flaunted as a plus for his administration has not really helped a nation whose current leadership seems deaf and dumb to the media but only afraid of even the shadows of the APC that has been giving it a hot chase in the race to 2105.

    Perhaps, (God forbid) the typical Nigerian State would have been a platform for a hitch-free recycling of mediocrity and parochialism.

    Here is no judgmental comparison between the party that emerged from Tinubu’s choice to be ‘stubborn’ and the party that mans the centre in Nigeria. Rather than locate the blessing that the national leader of the APC personifies in the quality of his party, I find his divine calling and success in the reality of active opposition in the contemporary political space, which derives its existence from Tinubu’s momentary but highly risky choice to be a lone voice of reason.

    Therefore, this piece, not founded on personal lack of confidence in the PDP, but a hindsight into the tragic pitfall that would have been our lot, if all Nigerian states were to be governed by a single party without having to mind any real and virile opposition party waiting in the wing to snatch’ the baton of governance from it.

    This is where Asiwaju is, ironically, a blessing to the PDP and all other parties in power at various levels. Today, before President Goodluck Jonathan in the Aso Villa; Governor Aliyu Babangida of Niger State; or Wilson Obiano of Anambra or any other helmsman at the national, state or local level takes any important decision, the fear of the APC would be the very beginning of his wisdom. And, in turn, the same fate that goes round actually comes round to any of the APC governors as well, as manifest in the recent demonstration of rivalry as the soul of democracy in Ekiti. This is the beauty that this former NADECO refugee has helped to herald in our polity.

    Rather than continue to vilify Tinubu endlessly for alleged inadequacies, bearing in mind the fact that Tinubu as a leader can’t but be subjected to public scrutiny at all times, what we actually need at this point is to ask some certain set of leaders some salient questions. These are the Orji Uzor Kalus, the Peter Obis, the Olusegun Mimikos and their ilk who, at one point or the other, were used by divine providence, as platforms of diversity to breed formidable opposition in the polity.

    Why have the Mimikos rejected their divine appointment as angels of opposition politics in the land? Why have they let Nigerians down by failing to uphold the express mandate Nigerians risked their lives to position them as channels of the other voice? Why have they preferred to sacrifice their respective future for the honey pie of the moment? Have their weakness not been Tinubu’s strength of refusing to cave in to the intimidating antics of the almighty federal party, against which he successfully waged a one-man war?

    Perhaps if Mimiko and his ilk had chosen dissent like Tinubu, by resisting the temptation of being pro-All Government in Power, if they had not forsaken their divine callings of liberating a beleaguered populace from the tyrannical tendencies of a one-party polity, Tinubu, as the father of contemporary opposition politics in Nigeria, would himself have found parties like PPA, APGA and Labour Party as real threats to the current monopoly enjoyed by his APC as the only other choice Nigerians presently have.

    On the whole, any sincere and dispassionate analysis of the evolution, development and sustenance of the current Fourth Republic would be incomplete without according the second Governor of Lagos State his pride of place. If anything, improved opposition in the form of the ever-present and vigilant alternative voice and political power re-allocation through the ballot box and judicial redress, I suspect, are two major factors that have, so far, robbed the khaki boys of their formerly recycled excuses for coups.

    In specific terms, if the Nigerian specie of politicians can, for instance, variously replicate the latest effort of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his recent economic advisory article to the Nigerian government, tagged Slump in oil prices: A progressive way out, rather than sustain the sycophantic ‘see-no-evil’, all-is-well relationship with the powers-that-be, our dear country would surely witness the rebirth of long dead politics of issues and qualitative opposition. For this to be, join me to pray that Dr. Doyin Okupe would not ask for Tinubu’s certificate in economics that qualifies him to advice our seemingly ‘all-wise’ government.

    • Olokode writes from Lagos

  • 2015 and PDP’s fight to reclaim Kano

    One interesting state to watch in the run off to the 2015 general elections is Kano. Kano is what, in the American political lexicon, termed a swing state. You just cannot predict what will sway the unpredictable and huge number of voters in the state.

    Added to this is the imminent showdown between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC). The people of Kano, of course, are not new to PDP. In 1999, the people overwhelmingly voted the then freshly formed PDP. Four years later, the PDP lost to the then ANPP. However, eight years after, the same people turned to vote for the PDP. This shows the unpredictably of the voting populace and, at the same time, the fact that both parties could be interpreted to be on the support pedestal.

    However, with the incumbency factor to its advantage and the fact that the current governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso has succeeded in building a strong support base at the grassroots, APC is poised to give the PDP a tough fight to retain the job at Kano Government House. But it is not necesarilya hopeless case for the PDP. In fact, the party has a lot of advantages that it can turn on in making sure that it hands a clean defeat for the APC in Kano.

    A number of serious and not so serious aspirants have thus far indicated interest by purchasing the nomination forms. And it is in sieving the array of aspirants to come up with the better one that the PDP can make or mar it’s chances. Some of the people on the posters dotting the streets of Kano are politicians that have used up their goodwill or have no good standing to confront the massive structure that Kwankwaso has built for himself. For PDP to weather the storm, there is the need for a new face and one who can pull the crowd. It is in this that one would see Abba Risqua Mohammed, the son of late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed as one with the right credentials.

    In this knowledge-driven and youth-oriented world, the greatest treasure of a people is to have a leader who is in sync with modernity to lead it to the utopian world of progress. If a state as historic and important as Kano routinely gets into the news for the bad reason – from drug abuse to breakdown of epidemics, it certainly needs redemption. We need someone to rescue the state to a better clime.

    The Kano of today requires a pragmatic leader who is in tune with current events trends and development all over the world. Indeed, the future of Kano depends largely on a quintessential leader blessed with vision, focus, commitment, resourcefulness, exposure, dynamism, hard work, fearlessness, noble family background and above all, credibility and the fear of God. For the state to fit rightly into the modern society, the major catalyst is for it to be steered by one who knows exactly the right direction  to go.

    By way of introduction, Abba Risqua Mohammed is the only surviving son of late Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Mohammed. When his father was tragically murdered by some people opposed to Nigeria’s progress, in 1976, Abba Risqua was only six years old. He is now 45: fully made man and accomplished in all respects. A graduate of Banking and Finance from the University of Lagos, he also holds a Postgraduate Diploma from the prestigious Cardiff Business School, Wales, United Kingdom. He is also a trustee of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, an NGO that has done a lot for Kano people and other Nigerians.

    In terms of leadership and management acumen, Alhaji Abba Risqua had served as Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo on International Relations from 2000 to 2007. He is now managing his booming business as the Group Chief Executive of AMG Petroenergy Limited, one of Africa’s foremost energy service providers.

    Coming from that golden heritage of a hero that was late General Mohammed, Abba has no hiding place for people looking for credible individuals to take critical leadership roles. It is therefore for this and his personal attributes as an accomplished man that a number of times people of Kano approach him to make himself available to serve the people by standing in for election. This time around, the magnitude and intensity of the demand is huge. As the 2015 general election beckons, the call is for Abba Risqua to come and take up the governorship seat of Kano per chance the state will have a Midas touch that Nigeria witnessed during his late father’s short sojourn in power.

    There is no gainsaying that General Murtala Ramat Mohammed is still regarded as one of Nigeria’s true heroes. He was not only one of those fiercely patriotic sons of the land who defiantly fought to keep Nigeria as one united country; he possesses startling qualities that are cherished by all.  He was detribalized, he was authentic, he was enthusiastic about the progress of the country, he was extraordinarily bold, and he was a patriot who truly loved his country. He was a man in a hurry to accomplish great things. He died in that hurry, in the prime of his life. Imagine what he could have done with power had he lived for a little longer?

    It is also worthy of note to mention that as a mark of his prudence and uprightness, when General Murtala Ramat Muhammed was assassinated in 1976 while serving as Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he left only N13,000 in his account and one bungalow in Kano – this was despite serving in various other positions at a time of the celebrated oil boom.

    As the Hausa say the offspring of antelope also runs like it’s parent, it is everyone’s expectation that anyone from the respected home of General Murtala Mohammed will just be as good! More over, for the PDP, the name of the Kano’s illustrious son alone is a huge asset that they can capitalise on to win the election. Additionally, Abba’s reputation is also intact with the people as he was never found wanting in all the key national assignments he has held. These, among other advantages that Risqua have, make him an easy-sale candidate for the PDP if at all the party wants to take back the Kano Government House easily.

     

    • Iliyasu wrote from Gwammaja, Kano.

  • Managing inter-professional relationships in health sector

    The past few years have seen a gradual widening of the gap between professional and operational staff within the health sector. There has been a clamour by the allied-health professionals challenging the existing roles of the medical practitioners in the sector and an increased agitation for a greater degree of participation in the decision-making process.

    Indeed serious conflict which have often degenerated into violent physical combat have occurred between practitioners who share the same physical operational space and several groups of allied-health professionals who have requested for greater degrees of autonomy in the discharge of their duties as against the dictates of the existing chain of command which places them under the supervision of the physicians. This has particularly been a nagging problem in the Laboratories and Medical Imaging Departments.

    Thus, the current state of inter-professional relationship in the Health sector is characterized by mutual suspicion, undue competition and rivalry, violation of intra- and inter-professional chains of command, sabotage of efforts of competing practitioners and at times outright hatred of other professionals.

    The PATIENT, who is the reason for the establishment of the sector, is the first casualty in this crisis.

    Several factors are responsible for the present state of things. One of which is the increasing demand for greater roles and greater authority in the management of patients by the different healthcare professionals in the hospital setting.

    The health sector, like other multi-professional systems like the aviation industry, the university system and even the manufacturing industry relies on each of the different groups of professionals contributing in different ways to the overall management of the patient. The reasons for this demand for greater roles may be too numerous to mention, but prominent among them is the desire by allied health professionals to achieve greater recognition as professionals within the hospital system and in the administrative reckoning of the civil service bureaucracy as well as in the eyes of the public. It could also be the desire by allied-health professionals for equal financial reward and recognition with the physicians, since the success of his efforts in managing an illness now depends on contributions from other professionals.

    There has also been a persistent failure of collective bargaining with all professional groups in the health sector through the years. Since the early days of the sector, aggrieved professional groups are usually engaged by government or its organs individually whenever their individual grievances were brought to the table rather than collective engagement with all groups to ensure that granting the desire of one group does not infringe on the perceived comfort or operational zones of another.

    In today’s modern healthcare system, the consequences of strained inter-professional relationships have serious implications for healthcare delivery. Imagine a patient who is admitted in a teaching hospital ward in Nigeria who by the time he spends five days on such admission would have encountered numerous healthcare workers of different professional orientation. The number of health workers to see a patient could be as many as 50 in countries with more sophisticated healthcare systems. Another immediate consequence of strained relationships is non-existent or poor communication channels between different categories of professionals. Hence the patient is confronted with conflicting instructions, suspicious practitioners which eventually affects the patient’s psyche, erodes public confidence in the health system and overall treatment outcome. Indeed whether we acknowledge it or not, the absence of these inter-professional communication lines affects patient’s morbidity and mortality because it stalls their investigation, evaluation and eventual treatment.

    The parlous state of inter-professional relationships in the sector has also encouraged the growth of a most undesirable culture of “territorialism” which has caused the decline of true, professionalism among practitioners. Each professional group converts its professional roles and even physical operating space into a “territory” that must be “guarded jealously” against any “violation” by any perceived competitor(s).

    Sadly, this odious culture of “Territorialism” is being passed to junior/up-coming practitioners. Strained inter-professional relationships have also led to the creation of complex, unwieldy organizational structures within each profession that only serves to nourish egos and reduce productivity. It has also contributed to the poor image of the public health sector among our fellow citizens and is a festering problem that requires urgent intervention.

    It stands to reason that as in many other sectors of the economy, the health care sector is also not immune to class struggle which has pitched the doctors against other professional groups in the hospital. The struggle for class distinction and leadership tussle by doctors has created acrimony among other professional which has not augured well for the overall effective discharge of their duties.

    In finding solutions to this challenge however, may involve a multi-dimensional approach.  Government at all levels must put in place policies that recognises the different roles of health professionals but at the same time encourage inter professional working relationship.

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2010 defined inter-professional collaboration as a situation where: “Multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds work together with patients, families, caregivers, and communities to deliver the highest quality of care”. This is essentially a situation where Health care professionals assume complementary roles and cooperatively working together, sharing responsibility for problem solving and making decisions to formulate and carry out plans for patient care.”

    The key word here is “together”.  This model was also suggested by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) the American health policy think-tank as a veritable tool for improving multi-disciplinary care of patients. Critical components that make up this concept must however be put in place for it to succeed. These include: Clear role definition/role clarification of professionals in the health team. There should be clear, unambiguous guidelines  stipulating the roles, responsibilities and limits of all the different professionals in the sector. This surely has always existed in some form, but the lines of responsibility have been blurred in recent agitations. The Federal Ministry of Health has a role to play in this regard.

    There is considerable evidence that inter-professional team work enhances communication, reduces errors, and improves patient outcome and satisfaction as well as staff satisfaction. These outcomes also lead to enhanced patient/client self-care, knowledge and outcomes, provider satisfaction, skills and practice behaviours. It can also lead to system enhancement such as provision of a broader range of services, better access, shorter waiting periods and more effective resource utilization.

    Building effective healthcare systems does not depend on technical factors or infrastructural adequacy alone. Human factors are extremely important. We must advocate for inter-professional collaboration amongst ourselves because collaboration “divides the task and multiplies the success”. The timeless words of Mattie J.T. Stepanek may be very useful at this juncture: “Unity is strength. When there is Team work and collaboration wonderful things can be achieved”.

     

    Prof Olatinwo is Chief Medical Director, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital

  • COMMENTS

    COMMENTS

    For Dare Olatunji

    Dare I always enjoy your piece but I will rather sidon look, according to the great Cicero. If you want to enjoy being alive please adopt sidon look and talk less approach. Anonymous

    Seriously I feel uncomfortable and unhappy with the situation, the police are being used to terrorise opposition in as much as I am against our honourables climbing fence. I know they had to take the last option available to save their job, because minority in Nigeria always have their way, the governors’ forum where 17 governors elected a chairman, seven-assembly member in Ekiti impeached speaker, most recently. All this action has the protection of the police controlled by the presidency. I want to advise that presidency to caution the police and allow fair play. From Demola Martins

    President Jonathan is being consumed by his unpopularity at home and abroad. International gang up against his fight against Boko Haram and now against our economy will compound anti Jonathan sentiments. It is typical of him to think that recourse to police state is the answer. From Chris Ugi

    Uncle Dare. I commend you on your write up. I think the only solution to this problem is to take our destiny unto our own hands. As every institution has collapsed. As a nation, we cannot be proud of security. All has been destroyed by selfish politics. From Abubakarr, Lagos.

    Anyone who understands the constitutional framework as it pertains to the office of the President and the Inspector General of Police knows that the Police would not violate the legislature unless on direct order of the President. The tragedy, however, is that every act of presidential impunity is one extra nail on the coffin of our collective demise as a democracy. I said this during former president Obasanjo’s administration. The monstrosity we see today is the generational offspring of its precursors. The worst is yet to be seen. From U.N. Udechukwu SAN.

    Over the making of police state, President Jonathan should be aware, the police should beware, they have not coped with boko haram,when they upset the apple cart, they cannot cope with the people’s wrath. Let Former President Campoare and Burkina-Faso be their latest lesson. It is possible here. From Henny ,Awka

    Security agencies should not take sides in the coming elections against the wish of the electorate and opposition parties but to carry everybody along in order not to truncate democratic process. Every party should be given equal treatment, ditto their aspirants and candidates.  From Gordon Chika Nnorom

    It is indeed sad that the Nigerian state is being run like a private firm. The earlier the trend is stopped the better before the situation degenerates into anarchy. Anonymous

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

    Face of Pseudo Democracy. Good and courageous write up, at least, lets sustain the intellectual battle against this lame duck, clueless and despotic government. From Gabriel, Abuja.

    Sir, why our leader turn these country and state upside down. Those in power have money, food, cars, house etc. If you are in PDP they like you, if you are not you will be hate. Have them forget that what you sow you shall reap. Thank God their children are there to receive double because after a father is a son. Anonymous

    What joy does a dead man derive to be told that his murderer was found in sack cloth and ashes? Of what benefit is a pair of lens to an already blind man? Obviously, President Jonathan has no new blood to inject into the polity and governance. He loves the paraphernalia of the office as opposed to its associated burdens. It was some sort of baptism into humdrum susceptibility of the low caste. In a manner of speaking, the police were on a Red Cross charity-grade mission to give the butterfly who fancied himself a bird of beneficial reality check. President Jonathan has become a dog in a manger, not only to Nigerians but also PDP, fighting dirty to maintain status quo. Does one wonder why he was endorsed by PDP with glaring abysmally low performance? Does one wonder why he has politicised and ethicised all the national institutions funded by taxpayers money? And introduced religion into the political space! Anonymous

    On your article today, police should realise that Federal government does not remember it for laudable duties but the ones that bring shame and ridicules like the House of Representatives issue. Anonymous

    Re-The face of a pseudo democracy.   The brazen abuse of rule of law and broken due process by IG and Co was/is condemnable! However, all existing political parties need to work in unison to save the current democracy as I noted that, all of them are not transparent, are impure, are of self interest, do not love mass of Nigerians. The Journalists too, need to write on problems and suggest solutions on social, cultural, religious, economic and international issues. Only through those, can they save this democracy since the politicians benefit 80 percent of this dispensation! Are CPs of all State governments not acting same scripts of IG Suleiman Abba. Everybody’s objective analyses of issues will save us from pseudo-democracy.  From Lanre Oseni.

    Good write up-keep it up. Advise the IG to remember people like Tafa Balogun, Hafiz Ringim and co. where are they now. Anonymous

    It is a very bad omen for security agents to take sides against the lawmakers over the Honourable Tambuwal’s defection to APC, afterall it is not a crime for Tambuwal to defect Cross-carpeting is allowed in our constitution. Why must Tambuwal defection generate heat in some quarters? From Gordon Chika Nnorom

    Re:”The face of a pseudo democracy.” In a very good democratic setting, the rule of law must be at play. Clamping down on Opposition Party during elections must not be an exercise that a ruling party will adopt to dominate the political landscape in order to intimidate the electorate to rig election and subvert the will of the people in the opposition states, for these are the scenarios we witness today. About two weeks ago, we saw how the National Assembly was recklessly invaded by the Police who have chosen fabrication of lies as part of their method to justify their disgraceful actions. The masses are really suffering, the impoverishment of the larger population is at a boiling point. Kidnapping, militancy and terrorism keep on increasing daily with heavy loss of lives being recorded. There is also a down turn in the economy due to high rate of insecurity yet this does not bother the ruling party. Government can force its way into the data office of APC, vandalise their computer machines and offer flimsy excuses. This type of excessive use of power is a sign of anarchy that can descend on the country if care is not taken. We need divine intervention so that the grace of Allah will abide and disgrace will disappear. From Prince Adewumi Oyeromade Agunloye

    Uncle Segun, you’ve said its exactly the way it is. To say more is to lie. Wrong doesn’t become right because it is done by a kinsman. I know I shall be here when this barbarity going around comes around- when these sowers of the seeds of anarchy reap the fruits of their destructive labour. Anonymous

    “The face of a pseudo democracy” would not be complete until it includes the rascally nature of the opposition and their pseudo progressivism. Until then it remains a piece of biased writing and the stuff of propaganda. From Kuteyi r.r, Ondo.

     

    For Gbenga Omotoso

    Inspector-General Suleiman Abba is a courageous fine officer. And to confirm this let him lead his obedient men with tear gas to the forbidden Sambisa smaller gate, Borno State. From Obeya Onyema, Makurdi.

    Suleiman Abba is acting a script of his desperate paymasters. This is just a litmus test of what will befall the nation in 2015.The Police boss is working for the PDP period. Be prepared for a tragic ‘election’ in 2015.From Comrade Sati Tanko,Jos.

    Abba is PDP-IG, I see no excuse in why people are getting mad about the current state of police and NASS. “A sheep that make friendship with dog, must act to produce bad product” Let him no recognise the speaker, the case is in court and we believe that. From Sani Jibo, Katsina.

    We are back to the old and dark days of the military rule. Everybody should be prepared for the challenge ahead. However, it’s unfortunate that such is happening in a regime we expected so much from. From Mr Fatimilehin Sunday.

    To think that the IGP is a “lawyer” displaying such level of ignorance of the law and provisions  of the constitution, is baffling. The NBA should disown him and strike his name of their register. He is a disgrace to their noble profession. From Dr.Cy.Nwanodi, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

    Haba Abba! My sincere opinion and reaction to your publication is that if Mr. President cannot stop the IG and the police show of shame on the National Assembly matter by sacking the IG to prove that he has no hand in the matter, he should resign immediately for gross incompetence before it is too late. From Tunde, Ibadan

    Baricade of the gate does not justify the scaling of the fence by the ‘Honourable’ members of the National Assembly. Two wrongs never make a right. If these men would live by the name Honourable, what they should have done was to address the press at the gate, drawing attention of Nigerians to the said dishonorable act of the Nigeria Police, and leave us to judge. By breaking the gates and disobeying the Senate President’s order of closure of the National Assembly, and a member rough handling him, has made the members not better than the police. God save Nigerian leaders. Can we repose any confidence in both our lawmakers and the law enforcement agents? From Olalere Segun, Ibadan.

    I have never seen even in a millitary regime where police are interpreting the law when the constitution is very clear to everybody. The Inspector-General does not understand the implication of what he said when he said the matter was in the court of law, and still went ahead and said he did not recognise Honourable Tambuwal as the speaker. We are not in a Banana Republic where laws are not obeyed. The action of the IG shows that he does know the constitution. IG and his backers should know that Nigeria is bigger than them. From Hamza Ozi Momoh Apapa Lagos.

    IG Sulaiman Abba by every standard is partisan and having gone contrary to the ethics of his job, should resign. From Uche Okonkwo Phd

    The IG is partisan. He should be fired for undermining our democratic institutions. May God save Nigeria! Anonymous

    Abba is simply acting President Jonathan script but he (Jonathan) should know the time is up for him. Whether he likes it or not we shall vote him out. He has failed us. we voted for him not pdp. From Emeka. Awka

     

  • Which way Nigeria? 

    Thursday, November 20 marked a new high in the disdain for law and order in our society. The events on this day at the National Assembly were extremely sad. A situation where the police charged with the security of citizens and to uphold the law decides to implement the selfish interests of a few is highly depressing. Lawmakers were forcefully prevented from performing the duties for which they were elected including use of force to prevent entry into the chambers even going as far as releasing teargas on parliamentarians! This is a total disgrace to our democracy and act that must be checked immediately if this democracy is to be preserved.

    The entire incident brought back memories of the dark days of military rule and raises questions about the hope of our country under this present dispensation. If lawmakers elected to uphold the law could be so shabbily treated upon instructions from one source, then what exactly is the hope of our nation? This lawless act amongst many others reinforces the character of our present federal government as highhanded, authoritarian, and vindictive and an intimidating government that cares nothing about its people but itself.

    Under the watch of President Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s democratic processes and respect for the law have been flagrantly abused over and over to the point where one begins to wonder whether our leadership understands the concept and importance of efficient structures and systems in ensuring a sustainable democracy. Lest I forget, the same adherence to the law and belief in upholding same is what birthed the Jonathan Presidency. Nigerians protested in adverse conditions –  under the scorching sun and  even defying the deadly resistance of the security forces  – to ensure that the then Vice President was installed the acting President of the nation. All this seems to have been forgotten so quickly and our nation appears to be decelerating at the speed of light into a state of anarchy.

    Boko Haram continues to fill all our hearts with fear and trepidation. Over 127,000 souls have been lost to the violence unleashed by this blood sucking sect and there appears to be no end in sight. Forty-eight traders were killed just a few days ago.  It is absolutely mind-boggling that the supposed giant of Africa has been crippled to her knees by a few thousand insurgents and made to appear like a helpless chicken that runs for cover at the sight of a barking dog. I recall vividly how in time past as a nation we supported our neighbours in Liberia, Sierra Leone and many other African countries on peace missions by lending our expertise in defence to ensure peace reigns in the lands across Africa; we were indeed our brothers keepers. It is hard to imagine what could have gone wrong so quickly. Over N3 trillion has been spent on security in the last four years with absolutely nothing to show for! This is in addition to the $1 billion that the President recently requested for earlier in the year to support the battle against terrorism in our land. It appears the more we spend the worse the situation gets. Who exactly is fighting who?  What is worrying is not the existence of the Boko Haram sect in itself because challenges are bound to occur in the life of every nation, but the fact that Nigerians have now been reduced to embarrassingly helpless onlookers whose security have now become their sole responsibility and not that of their government.  Nigerians deserve better!  Nigeria appears to have left her citizens to map out their own security strategy despite the gargantuan amounts being spent. This situation is beyond comprehension and is certainly questionable on all fronts. Or how does one explain that a nation’s defence chief announces that they know the whereabouts of our kidnapped Chibok girls and do absolutely nothing about it? Today they know their whereabouts, tomorrow they are in negotiation talks; yet five months after and still no Chibok girls. Each day we are confounded by the utterances and actions that continue to leave one exasperated with the manner of handling of our nation’s security by those who should know better.

    As insecurity continues to abound, a flagrant disregard for the law continues to deepen its roots in our land. Ekiti state PDP-led government in a laughable move recently announced the impeachment of its speaker and deputy. This impeachment however, was effected by only seven lawmakers out of 26. What have we turned ourselves into? A situation where basic arithmetic is turned into complex quadratic equations for the sole purpose of achieving selfish ambitions and flouting the law does our nation no good. This is yet another example of the incessant breakdown of law and order we continue to experience as a nation.

    Several times this same attitude has been displayed in the now public feud between the Rivers State Governor Hon. Rt. Rotimi Amaechi and President Jonathan. In several instances the Rivers Governor was denied access to the Rivers State Government House.  So also was his movement restricted on his way to Ekiti state for the final campaign of the then Governor Kayode Fayemi. These acts clearly represent an infringement of basic human rights! Yet, we all trod on as if nothing happened and another crack is hatched in the wall of our democracy.

    The recent alleged abduction and severe torture of journalists in the Niger Delta by Government Ekpemupolo alias ‘Tompolo’ is yet another example of how we continue to damage our fledgling democracy. Kidnapping is clearly a punishable act under the law, and in this case there is a clear suspect; yet we have chosen to take no action!

    Only on Friday, November 21, the DSS raided the APC office in Ikeja Lagos, carting away several amounts of data in a brazenly irresponsible act of impunity; another condemnable act and gross abuse of power clearly initiated by the sitting government. For how long will we continue to endure this before we experience a crack? Newton’s law of motion readily comes to mind here; ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’. Nigerian’s are being provoked on a daily basis and it is only a matter of time before a reaction occurs. I indeed hope that for all our sakes it is not a violent one.

    As these events continue to unfold, our economy continues to take a bashing. Our foreign reserves are at an all-time low and debt profile continues to rise with absolutely nothing to show for it except the chaos being experienced across the nation. Nigerian youths are languishing in several jails abroad, a lot of them leaving the shores of Nigeria, trying to escape from a totally hopeless situation. Desperate for survival, Nigerian youths are murdered abroad daily. What is the life of a Nigerian citizen worth?

    Poverty has never been so pervasive. Corruption is now an official state policy. The transformation agenda is a labyrinth leading to a cul-de-sac. The only people clapping are those who designed it. Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) irritatingly bombards us with delusional brandishing rhetoric of achievements of this administration. Not to worry, Nigerians are discerning enough to separate rhetoric from reality.

    Suffice to say, it is clear from several experiences that our PDP led government has lost all emotional intelligence and ability to empathize with the present situation in our land. How else do you explain pushing ahead with a re-election campaign barely 24 hours after a major bomb blast claimed the lives of our children – the supposed leader of tomorrow whose destinies have been unduly cut short? We have now become a laughing stock as we continue to operate in the realm of misplaced priorities and there seems to be no end in sight for the negative attention we continue to draw.

    Yes, I can lay claim, and proudly so, to being one of the “founding mothers” of APC but I express my concerns, irrespective of my political party. Recent events, if not checked and resisted, portend grave danger that could destroy the very fabrics of our existence.

    Our Nigeria today is certainly not the dream of our forefathers and definitely not one we should hand over to our children. We need to ensure that we set right the foundational principles of democracy. The executive, legislature and judiciarymustoperate independently and harmoniously for us to achieve great results. Posterity holds it upon us to ensure that we uphold the sanity of our nation. Our legacy as a people is built upon the good that we do and not the evil that we perpetuate.

    I would thus like to plead and admonish all our serving leaders particularly our President, Dr Jonathan to consider how posterity will judge him and the legacy that he will leave behind when he leaves office.

    The rule of the law should be sacrosanct and upholding the law should be a job forall of us.It is detrimental to the existence of any political office to flout the law; it is said that ‘he who lives by the gun dies by the gun’. If the law is raped today for your selfish ambition it is worth remembering it could be raped tomorrow for your destruction. As John F. Kennedy once said; “Our goal here is not the victory of might but the vindication of right – not peace at the expense of freedom but both peace and freedom”. I indeed hope that as a nation we shall achieve this goal.

    • Hon. Dabiri-Erewa is a member, House of Representatives